Convenient
by Excited-Insomniac
Summary: Modern AU, in which Jet inadvertently causes Zutara. Just for fun. :)


**Convenient**

_Over the years, when people asked how they met, Zuko liked to say, "She thought I was convenient." Then Katara would snort, swat him, and tell the real story, which always started with "So there was this asshole Jet…"_

"Well, I'm late to meet Aang," Toph said cheerfully. "You wanna share a cab, or stay a bit?"

"I'll finish this," Katara said, tapping the rim of her half-empty pint. "Tell Aang hi for me, yeah?"

"Sure thing, Sugar Queen. See you 'round!" With a little wave of the fingers, Toph was gone, the door of their favorite bar swinging shut behind her.

Katara sighed over her beer. Both of her best friends had steady boyfriends now… Toph and Aang had been together for almost eight months, and Suki had just started dating _Sokka_ (they were both traitors) last month. Katara, for her part, had ditched Jet ten days ago, and on the one blind date she'd been on since, the guy had burst out in tears and confessed he was gay.

"Hey babe."

Oh God.

"Didn't think I'd see you here all alone. Not waiting for me, were ya?"

She turned to face her smirking ex. "Hi Jet. Didn't think I'd see you here either."

"Aw, don't be like that. Don't say you haven't missed me?" She saw that Jet's favored goons, Hahn and Chan (Tweedle-Dumb and Tweedle-Stupid she called them in her head) standing behind him, looking just as vacant and leering as ever.

"No, I didn't," she replied sharply. "As a matter of fact, I'm—I'm here with my new boyfriend."

Jet's eyes narrowed. "That a fact?" he drawled. "And where is this guy?"

Ah. Yes. Way to think that through, Katara. Sokka always said she was too impulsive. "Um…" She glanced around desperately. "There he is." 'He' was a lanky man with a shaggy mop of dark hair, hands deep in the pockets of his leather jacket. A large red mark—a birthmark? A scar?—marred the area around his left eye, and he looked impressive and menacing standing there stamping the bite of Chicago's winter from his booted feet.

"We'll see about this…" Jet muttered, and stalked over towards the guy.

Alarm and humiliation rose in her throat as Jet started posturing in front of him, jerking his thumb back at her and making what looked like some pretty provocative gestures. The other guy looked confused and tried to brush past him, but Jet wouldn't have it, and shoved him against a table. He recovered quickly and tried to push Jet away, but Jet took advantage of his leniency and swung hard at his face. The guy went sprawling, knocking tables asunder and sending the few bar patrons shouting to their feet.

"Jet, stop it!" Katara screamed, leaping off her stool and rushing to try and break up the fight. And apparently Tweedle-Dumb and Tweedle-Stupid had had enough too, because they were pulling Jet off the guy even as she tried to intervene.

"Oh my God!" she cried, kneeling over the bleeding man as Hahn and Chan pulled Jet out the door, cursing. "I am _so_ sorry, I never in a million years thought he'd go after you like that! I'm so so sorry… are you alright?"

He glared up at her around the hand that held his bleeding nose. "Do I _look_ alright?"

"No," she said, feeling foolish. "But, um, I have first aid training, if you'd, uh, like me to look at your nose."

He gazed at her dubiously for another moment, but then raised his spare hand in a 'help me up' gesture, and she obligingly hauled him to his feet and led him back to the restroom. For a few minutes, she gently washed the blood in silence, and then said awkwardly, "Oh, um, I'm Katara. That asshole was Jet, my ex. I'm… really sorry."

"What does him being your ex have to do with…?" He pointed vaguely at his scabbing nostrils and blooming black eye.

"Well, I… jeez, this sounds so stupid now… Basically, he was giving me a hard time, so I told him I was out with my new boyfriend, and when he asked where he was, I, uh, saw you come in, and… uh—Christ, this sounds terrible… you were… convenient, I guess." She can't bear to look at him now, and stares fixedly at his collar, where two spots of blood have stained the fabric. Then she sees his shoulders start to shake and looks up in alarm, thinking he had gone into shock or was having a seizure or something.

But no, he was laughing.

She watched anxiously as he bent over, holding his stomach and positively howling with mirth, gasping out little 'ow's every now and then. She couldn't decide if it would be appropriate for her to join in, so she stayed quiet, but smiled.

"I just got the mickey taken outta me by some asshole because it was convenient? Haha! Ow, my face…"

"I'm really sorry," she whispered, blushing furiously.

"Nah," he said. "It's alright." She looked up at him in shock. _Alright? _"He didn't even know how to throw a real punch." Her eyes skipped down to the blood crusting around his nose. "Well, sure, but how easy is it to get a bloody nose? I used to get them when I _sneezed._" She giggled despite herself.  
"Plus, I didn't want to hurt the guy: he was obviously confused." Wow… that was… totally mature. "You know what? I'm Zuko. Could I buy you a drink, Katara?"

She stared up at him and slowly grinned. "Sure, I'd love that."

**A/N: Just something silly I spat out in an evening during a break in homework. And yes, I know Zuko's a wicked good fighter, etc, but he probably thought Jet was drunk or something, he shouldn't beat the shit out of a drunk person. Not honorable. ;)**

**And I started writing this in the middle, and then went back to the beginning, so sorry if there are any continuity errors. **

**All characters are owned by Bryke, Nick, and Viacom.**

**E.I. signing out**


End file.
